During the heavy flooding in
the Philippines by a monsoon we just called "Habagat", I used Facebook
to post pictures and status of flooded areas on my page so that the
people who do not have access to computers but have mobile phones with
Internet capabilities were able to see the status of the flooding in
Manila. It also helped the Filipinos who were based abroad or out of the
country during that time and were concerned of the conditions of their
families and relatives here in the Philippines.
I concentrated
not just on our community but of other locations too. I also shared
every critical or important information or directed it to the concerned
parties or people involved in the rescue and evacuation.
With
my Facebook status updates, which went on for almost two days non-stop
pausing only during toilet breaks, the people within my network were
able to get important information like which flooded streets to avoid,
where is the nearest evacuation center, contact numbers of rescue and
relief centers, etc.
I was also able to use Facebook, along
with its integration with my Twitter account, to send the message,
names, addresses, etc., of the people trapped or stranded to the
authorities paving the way for their rescue.
Because of this
effort during those two days, members of the community were able to
recognize my undeniable concern towards our community, and many of the
people already identified me as the epitome of a concerned citizen. Many
of the people based abroad thanked me for the public service.
Indeed social media has "connected" and effected strong communication
ties on each and everyone of us that the world seems so small now.
Everyone can unite as one for a specific purpose like helping those in
need during times of emergencies and disasters.
I'm sure soon
enough almost everyone will totally be "connected" due to the growing
affordability of advance technology available to the public. Thank you
to social media, specifically Facebook!
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